Defense leads SMU to rout of Fresno State in Hawaii Bowl

Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - June Jones showed he's still got some of that
old island magic left.

The winningest coach in the history of the Hawaii football program had a very
successful return to his former home, as Jones' Southern Methodist Mustangs
easily handled Fresno State in a 43-10 victory to capture the Sheraton Hawaii
Bowl.

But unlike the Hawaii teams that were fueled by prolific passing offenses
during Jones' nine-year tenure that produced seven winning seasons and a BCS
bowl appearance from 1999-2007, the Mustangs earned this victory on the
strength of their defense.

SMU (7-6) recorded seven sacks and four takeaways, with Taylor Reed and Hayden
Greenbauer returning interceptions for touchdowns and standout defensive end
Margus Hunt a one-man wrecking crew responsible for two sacks, a pair of
forced fumbles and a safety.

The Mustangs also held Bulldogs running back Robbie Rouse, averaging 122.3
rushing yards per game coming in, to a mere 27 on 13 attempts.

Quarterback Garrett Gilbert also helped give Jones a happy homecoming, with
the Texas transfer rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in
addition to accumulating 210 yards and a score with two interceptions on 14-
of-28 passing.

The end result was remarkably similar to Jones' last visit to Aloha Stadium,
when an underdog SMU squad dealt Nevada a 45-10 defeat in the 2009 Hawaii
Bowl.

Derek Carr finished with 361 yards and a touchdown while completing 33-of-53
throws for Fresno State (9-4), which entered the contest riding a five-game
win streak, but threw both of the aforementioned interceptions and also lost a
fumble. Davante Adams was the Bulldogs' offensive star, amassing a career-high
13 catches totaling 144 yards and scoring the team's lone touchdown.